Welcome Back to Tarsus IV
by Cori Rain
Summary: Captain Kirk remembers the people he lost on Tarsus IV, as they orbit said planet.


Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or Star Trek: 2009, nor any of their contents. Those belong to the creative geniuses, Gene Roddenberry and J.J. Abrams. All I own is a Starfleet Academy T-shirt, a home made Red Shirt, and some of the books /DVD s/audio books.

* * *

**Welcome Back To Tarsus IV**

On the shores of a sea of wheat,  
Surrounded by a colorful garden  
Of sweet flowers and fruits,  
A familiar farm house stands  
With a squeaking porch swing.  
A backyard flows into a grove  
Then the forest beyond.

A woman of fair beauty  
Stands welcoming at the door,  
Children, younger than he, at her heals.  
His young cousins sprint to greet  
Him and their father,  
with smiles and laughs.  
Their mother with  
Hair of spun gold and smile like the sun,  
Fallows, gliding to greet him.  
"Welcome to your new home, Jimmy",  
Her voice is that of an angel in the choir,  
"Welcome to Tarsus IV".

The scene rapidly changes,  
The world becomes much darker.  
The sea of wheat, now a desert;  
The flowers wilted & dead;  
The fruit toxic;  
The farmhouse falls into chaos,  
A death trap,  
Rooms filled with screams,  
The young ones given escape  
To disappear into the forest,  
Their last sanctuary.

The town square  
Filled with people in need,  
Forcibly taken from their homes.  
It is here, Jimmy is no more.  
Where he sees his uncle & aunt,  
His angels, His saints,  
Fall,  
As the square is  
Painted Red.  
Only 9 survivors, children no more,  
Those whom were hidden from  
Sight or shielded from death,  
Escape the Red Square,  
To the forest and sanctuary.  
He stands, last to enter the wood,  
Angelic voice, now echo from his memory,  
"Welcome to Tarsus IV".

He leads them all  
Though he is but a child himself.  
Yet J.T. protects his crew, his kids,  
And tried to spare them some harm.  
Hunger, Disease, Thrust, & Fear,  
Familiar companions,  
For more than a year,  
They hide and survive.  
One adult in whom to confide,  
Hoshi Sato, an angel, a communicator,  
Whom J.T.'s children refer to as mother.

The mother sends for help  
Many messages to the stars.  
Yet, she is discovered,  
Before their saviors come.  
The children survive,  
J.T.'s health in decline.  
No tears to cry,  
As they leave  
That hellish home behind.

Earth,  
Not Home, Never Home,  
He returns to.  
No longer J.T.  
No longer Jimmy.  
The identities not applicable,  
Yet unable to be discarded.  
A soul lost  
Still in pain,  
A new mask forged  
To continue life's game,  
Protects the soul inside,  
Hides the damage,  
Brought on by a world  
Cold, dead, and savage.

Years later,  
He stands from his chair,  
Bright eyes empty.  
The mask falters  
A remembrance of fear & pain.  
The crew fades into the background  
Along with attempts to gain his attention.

Two motherly angels  
Dance in his view.  
Both in front of a farm house  
Surrounded by sunshine & children  
Gone long before their time.  
One of the angels stood,  
Her long blond hair, those rays of starlight  
Blew slightly in the wind.  
She smiled at him,  
Her voice, music in his ears,  
"Welcome to Tarsus IV"  
Pride and sorrow infected her tone.  
She raced to him,  
Held him tightly in her arms  
As Storms darkened the sky.

"Jimmy, oh Jimmy…  
Or is it Captain Kirk now?"  
Her glow warmed him  
Against the cold world  
Around him,  
In front of him &  
Buried in memory.  
Never Forgotten.  
"Welcome back to Tarsus IV."

"Captain…Jim." The familiar monotone  
Shattered the image,  
Banished it from his thoughts.  
Kirk turned from the viewer,  
Towards his pointy-eared friend  
"Sorry Mr. Spock. You were saying?"

* * *

A poem based on my thoughts about how the events of Tarsus IV affected our favorite captain. I was trying to write it to fit into the TOS universe as well, but the poem had other plans...

For more on Tarsus IV: http :/ memory -alpha. org/ wiki/Tarsus_IV (Remove the spaces)

Please review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!  
~Cori Rain


End file.
